Tag Archives: summer

summer

29 Apr

 

summer1
ˈsʌmə/
noun
noun: summer;
pool in summer
plural noun: summers
summer postcards
  1. 1.
    the warmest season of the year, in the northern hemisphere from June to August and in the southern hemisphere from December to February.
    “this plant flowers in late summer”
    • Astronomy
      the period from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox.
    • literary
      years, especially of a person’s age.
      “a girl of sixteen or seventeen summers”
      summer time
verb
verb: summer; 3rd person present: summers; past tense: summered; past participle: summered; gerund or present participle: summering
1.
spend the summer in a particular place.
“well over 100 birds summered there in 1976”
beach balloons
hurry up xx

summer

8 May

freshly cut grass

shells

bank holidays

girls jumping silhouette

sea smells

trashy harlan coben books

99 with a flake

big blanket. outside fun.

howth

girlie may birthdays

pretty painted toes

rain

reading at breakfast

sitting in the park with the girls

sand

summer girl silhouette

sunny balcony time

hearing the ice-cream man

holidays

packing

not working

going for a run in the sun

new people

smell of sun cream

rain. sun. sun. rain. cloud. sun. rain. rain. rain.

silly music

bare legs

sandy beach

coconut smell

long drives

easkey

flipflops

dinner outside

dogs

bbq smells

takeaway coffees with siobhan

bees

tattoos on show

fun weekends away

smoothies

heat

freckles

someone else putting on my aftersun

summery lists

Best of Barcelona, ssh! it’s a secret…

21 Sep

Sightseeing in Barcelona


So you have the guidebook, so you know what you need to see…Well here’s my best of  if you are stuck for time in Barcelona, in no particular order….

Parc del Laberint d’Horta
This is as the name suggests, a giant labyrinth. Made me feel like I was in a lovely film, running around trying not to get lost. Beautiful gardens, crumbling Arabic mansion, and no city sounds…wonderful. p.s. I’ve lived in Barcelona for 4 years and I just discovered this beauty last weekend. It’s a weirdly not-rounded-up €2.17.

The Magic Fountain
This is a must see, but make sure to check the website before you make the journey. It’s roaring classical music meets lights, lasers and romance. Oh and it doesn’t cost a thing.

Mar Bella Beach
Forget the dirty touristic beach that sits on the end of the promenade. Go a little further, and meet the real 20 somethings of Barcelona. Great music, cleaner water and lots of bronzed bodies.

Walks

Gaudi
Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia, Fountains in Parc De la Cuitadella, Casa Mila and Casa Batllo…they are all in the guidebook for for good reasons.

El Gothic
Windy streets, lots of tourists, roman ruins, big squares, lots of cafes and bars, souvenir shops, shady characters, cheap raybans, hippy clothes will all leave you with the distinct feeling you’ve just been on holiday…Check out Plaza Trippy for some cosy but crazy nightlife.

La Rambla
It even has it’s own wiki page.

El Raval
Twisty, dirty streets, full of chaos, loud noises, large families, great museums, pickpocketers, lots of great bars, a huge mix of expats from all over the world..oh and lots of men offering cerveza beer and a whole concoction of other things. weird, a little smelly in places. But very Barcelona.

Gracia
This is real Barcelona, full of 20 somethings, always up for a good time, with fresh food markets, little quirky vintage boutiques and cosy little bars with great prices.

Camp Nou

One of the most famous reasons to visit Barcelona. This stadium is HUGE, and to be honest any ticket you get guarantees a good view of the guys in action.
Get your tickets here: Football Tickets Barcelona
These guys speak English, French, Spanish and German and have been doing this for years.

Bars

Timeline
Owned by the lovely Carla and Nina-both bilingual- this bar is sure to please. Decorated cleverly in, well, a timeline of clocks, vintage furniture, old school books as menus, delicious cocktails served in generous jam jars, oh and the most yummy patatas bravas you will find in Gracia..this is a great location to meet new friends, kick back, relax and watch the time go by..

Heliogabal
This is a gem if you are a big fan of little intimate bars with good music and cheap beer and vino. The crowd is a good mix of locals, and expats, usually only too happy to strike up conversation.

El Chatelet
This is one of my favs, they do great cocktails, there is always a good crowd and the atmosphere is second to none. The crowd is kind of trendy, but relaxed and chatty. Mostly locals.

Tapas

I think I should be on commission for Bitacora. Every time we have guests over, this is the one place that we always want to show off in. Fabulous tapas, served in a grungy FC Barcelona supporters bar. Rude writing on the bathroom walls, dirty napkin filled floors, but some of the most delicious food I have EVER tasted. eh..did I mention I think this place is pretty awesome??

Museums
Quirky, in the heart of Raval, surrounded by skaterboys and girls, is Macba, tattoos, kitch bars, and stark white surroundings, this is the heartbeat of the art scene in Barcelona. Keep an eye out for some great photography exhibits in the gallery there.

recipe #8 white chocolate & raspberry cheesecake

14 Jul

need:

200g crushed digestive biccies or ginger nuts

55g  melted butter

420g philadelphia cream cheese

55g caster sugar

1/2 lemon with zest and juice

350g chopped white chocolate

300ml whipped cream

250-300g raspberries

 

 

make:

crush biccies

stir in melted butter and press mixture into a greased cake tin

chill in fridge for 15 mins

whisk cheese, sugar, lemon zest and juice together

melt chocolate  and add to beated ingredients and fold in the cream

put some raspberries onto the base and pour half of the filling on top

repeat until filling is all used up and smooth the surface of the cake with a spoon

leave to chill overnight if possible

serve with fresh cream and raspberries and decorate with some lemon zest and a sprig of mint


 

recipe #7 yummy breakfast smoothie

6 Jul

need:

half can of low fat coconut milk

spoonful of good honey

half a glass of ice

handful of strawberries

half a banana

passionfruit

tablespoon of wheatgerm

 

 


make:

blend until smooth and enjoy

 

dance dance dance

29 Jun

walkies in dublin stills

27 Jun

 

 

 

 

 

recipe #6 dippy guacamole

20 Jun

need:

2 kind of brown avocados

1 big clove of garlic

few slices of spring onion

juice of one lime

juicy bits of one vine tomato

half a handful of corriander

warm fresh ripped bread or

slices of cucumber or peppers to dip

make:

chop garlic, spring onions, corriander

slice avocados and remove seeds

half a tomato and squeeze out the juice

slice and juice lime

mash up avocado

mix lime and tomato juice

add garlic, onions and sprinkle the corriander

lottery winnings- what i’m going to do…

7 Jun

what to do…

so i have that tuesday feeling….i just bought my euromillions ticket and know that this time i have it in the bag…the numbers feel right, there’s a smell of fresh wads of cash on the way and i’m worrying now that if my wicked plan does come to fruition, i’m simply just not prepared…

so in the more than likely event that tomorrow is my night, this is what i’m going to do:

  • tell EVERYONE muahahaha
  • donate to hospice and cancer research
  • buy a walk-in wardrobe
  • fill said wardrobe with everything i want
  • bring the girls on a holiday, pamper, shop and cocktails
  • bring family away somewhere lovely
  • pay off all family mortgages and fill account with fun mon’
  • buy a sound proof room or max’s music
  • b&b on the island of formentera, near ibiza
  • do courses in everything i want to: photography, marketing, social media, baking, cooking, pottery…you name it…
  • do a clothes dash in topshop on oxford street wuuuuuhuuu
  • holiday in thailand, vietnam, cambodia and laos, followed by a shopping and pampering trip in NY
  • perfect my spanish, learn some new languages
  • win the lottery again. just to rub it in your faces.

recipe #2 homemade iced-tea

26 May

need:

2 lemons

sugar to taste

3/4 teabags-strong black tea

make:                                                  

fill a large pitcher/teapot with boiling water and teabags.add a little sugar and  leave to cool. when cooled, remove the teabags and add lemons. add more sugar to taste.  serve with a slice of fresh lemon. voila. perfect. summer. drink.